Second Chances
by MysticSorceror
Summary: - Love So Life -   Shiharu is twenty four and a single mother after her husband got in an accident, she is trying to get by on her own when a secret crush from seven years ago comes along. How will she cope when the world gives her a second chance?


**Second Chances**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Love so Life or any of the characters, they belong to Kouichi Kaede. Ryuu is my own creation as are few other characters.**

**Hope you enjoy**

"I will never leave my kid!" Nao told Shiharu as she stood in front of him, the pregnancy test in her hands. The two had been dating ever since it was planned for them to move from the orphanage. In Nao's case it had been from fear that they would never see each other again which had pushed him to ask her, in Shiharu's case it was encouragement from Rio that had gotten her to accept it. That was what he had said at the time and that was what he probably would have done had it not been for the accident.

Since the time Shiharu had entered Sunflower Orphanage she had been under the fear that if she was going to get anyone precious she would lose them. As time went on her new friends and "family" made her feel that she wasn't going to be so unlucky and so she had never expected for Nao to be in the car accident that cost him his life. As she looked down she felt the tears in her eyes and quickly stood up getting ready for work. Her child, Ryuu was only three years old, the same age that Akane and Aoi had been when she had started looking after them for Matsunaga-san. Shiharu herself was twenty four, as she sat there feeling the tears of grief wash down her face she heard a sound behind her.

"Mama?" the small Ryuu asked as he held tight to a stuffed tiger. He hated seeing his mother cry as much as Shiharu hated crying in front of Ryuu.

"Hey," the girl turned back with a motherly smile, her short hair resting on her shoulders. She came over to him and kissed the top of his head, "Rawr!" she said back as he held the toy up and repeated the word.

"Rawr!" he yelled childishly as Shiharu looked around the apartment for her keys and jacket, even though she worked at the day care where Ryuu went she felt a little alone these days. It hadn't been like that in this way when she was sixteen or seventeen surrounded by her friends and the Matsunaga family and the children at the orphanage. It had been six years since those days and five since Matsunaga-san told her that his brother had returned.

Getting on her coat and grabbing her bags she looked to Ryuu and made sure he had all the things he needed. "Are you going to take mr. tiger to daycare today?" she asked him and Ryuu nodded. "Great, now let's get your shoes on," she beamed acting her happy self. Ryuu smiled as he did so, Ryuu was a perfect replica of his father but he carried his mother's expressions and behavior well, he had her eyes and the blood type was the same, she was his inside influence whereas Nao had been the cause of his outside influence.

After getting the shoes on Shiharu walked down a very familiar road with Ryuu's hand in hers. It was there that they spotted a cat and Ryuu broke free from Shiharu very interested in the animal. Shiharu quickly made her way over to her son and crouched down beside him, "It's a cat," she said noting the black stripes that the orange cat proudly wore, "Look how he's colored just like a tiger."

Ryuu nodded, he went back to his mother and they continued on their way. Shiharu looked around before catching sight of something on TV, a broadcast with a famous announcer. She smiled weakly as she remembered him, her secret crush something she had kept secret from Nao. "Mama?" Ryuu asked before seeing Shiharu's tears, "Mama! No cry! No cry!"

Shiharu perked herself up and grinned at the little boy, "I'm not crying," she whispered before looking down. "Matsunaga-san...I wonder how he is," she whispered remembering how he had given her his number when she finally had a cell phone so that they might be able to help each other out in the future. It had been Matsunaga-san who had stood beside her when she had watched the twins leave, she hadn't seen them since that day.

Ryuu paused unsure what to do, he just smiled at his mother before catching sight of the guy who had been on TV. "Him!" he screamed as Shiharu turned around her eyes catching sight of the thirty three year old man. "You make Mama cwy?" he asked as Shiharu dipped into a bow.

"Matsunaga-san," she smiled at him shakily, he looked at her with a smile, but with confusion. She reached out and held Ryuu's hand, "You probably don't remember me very well," she tried to explain, "Naka-"

Seiji's smile increased and he put a hand on her shoulder, "Nakamura-san, of course I remember you." He grinned at her, his warmth increasing, "As if I could ever forget."


End file.
